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@VillageVoice #BKPour Craft Beer Fest
The Village Voice’s second Brooklyn Pour took place at Skylight One Hanson. The craft beer extravaganza was fully packed, with two sessions to cater to the huge demand received much in part to the success of last year’s BK Pour. My guess is that Village Voice will probably have to make the event a two-day affair next year as more and more people learn about this Brooklyn secret.
Even with the crowd, attendees could easily get a taste of all 100+ beers, assuming their stomach capacity and tolerance would allow for such a lofty endeavor. One thing I would suggest if you come next year is to make sure that you have a tasting buddy who drinks at about the same pace as you do! I came with a guy and a girl friend and he left us slow sippers in the dust to conquer the tasting floor on his own. Despite my snail’s pace, I did get so sample some great beers.
Here are the highlights:
Welcome!
First stop… grab a tasting glass and pencil to mark your beer list
The scenic Skylight One Hanson, formerly known as the Williamsburg Savings Bank
Beers, beer and more beer
From left to right:
* Three Philosophers by Brewery Ommergang was probably the strongest beer at 9.80% ABV!
* Love the Rastufa Rye label (Blue Point Brewery).
* Innis & Gunn Spiced Rum Aged Beers was the “Best Beer in Show” according to my unofficial survey of people standing next to me when I tasted it, and my very own taste buds.
Barefoot wine added a little variety to the beer fest
Another non-beer exhibitor was Greenhook Ginsmiths gin. The American Gin packs an over-proof zing. Beach Plum add some flavor to gin and is tasty either for sipping straight or adding to a cocktail. Owner, Steven DeAngelo, is pictured on the right.
Had to take a pic of this young Richard Gere look alike 🙂
Umm, these pickles–delish! And a perfect accompaniment to a cold, frost beer.
Wine flavored cupcakes. I don’t need to elaborate here. Yum!
Pretzel, anyone?
Good old-fashioned chugging contest
Cheers!
Gorgeous venue, huh?
See you next year, BK Pour!For more info on BK Pour click here
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Coming Up: @VillageVoice #BKPour Craft Beer Fest
Wow, time flies. It’s already time for Village Voice’s Brooklyn Pour! I covered it last year and had a ball while tantalizing my taste buds and learning a ton about beer. It literally changed my life (as related to beer).
Before Brooklyn Pour
Me: I’ll take a Corona with a limeAfter Brooklyn Pour
Me: What kind of IPA (that’s Indian Pale Ale) do you have…or maybe I’ll go for a Belgian wheat ale…In case you don’t know what BK Pour is all about, it’s a craft beer festival featuring 60 brewers with over 100 beers to taste. It’s held at the historic, and absolutely breathtaking Hanson Place in downtown Brooklyn. This year, BK Pour will give attendees the opportunity to amp up their beer knowledge while they sip, offering three Beer Talks and Demos per session–because knowing about what you’re drinking is way sexier than ignorant consumption.
There will also be an outdoor food court with delicious eats that will make you wish you had an extra stomach on hand!
BK Pour isn’t only about the booze, though–proceeds from the event are going to BK Pour’s charitable partner, Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition (BARC), a nonprofit organization looking to provide a safe haven for abandoned animals and to find permanent loving homes for them.
VIP tickets for Session 1 have already sold out and I’m sure the remaining tickets will be gone soon, so don’t procrastinate if you want to attend!
See you there!
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National Ceviche Day- June 28th!
My poor Colombian taste buds are going to hate me by the end of this post. But I found it important to share with all food junkies:
JUNE 28th is National Ceviche Day!
As if things could not get any better- a few restaurants across the US will be celebrating! With a healthy mix of this delicious Latin-Asian dish-it is a day not to miss!
Zengo: Richard Sandoval Restaurants in New York, Denver, D.C., and Santa Monica will be participating! Here is a sample of one the menus:
New York:
Mahi-Mahi: Fermented pepper, citrus, napa cabbage, cucumber, cilantro, red onion, nori
Shrimp: Poached shrimp, red onion, pomegranate, chives, avocado, dashi, leche de tigre
Tiraditos
Hiramasa: Scallions, fresno pepper, cilantro, avocado, popcorn, citrus
Seared Scallop: sesame, ume, serrano, red radish, kaiware sprout, tequila ponzu
Tiradito (Zengo NY) Pampano: Chef Lucero Martinez-Richard Sandoval Restaurants in NY
(209 East 49th Street, New York, NY – even easier for you guys to find! )
Will be serving:
Camaron: Shrimp, lime, avocado, chile habanero
Atun: Big eye tuna, pear tomatoes, cilantro, serrano, ginger and cucumber broth
Halibut: Halibut, cilantro, mint, mango
Mahi-Mahi: citrus tomato, chile serrano
Pulpo-a la Parilla: grilled octopus, cactus, tomato, queso fresco, black olive caramel, lemon vinaigrette
Chicharron de Camaron: crispy rock shripm, coconut-guajillo, avocado vinaigrette
Ceviche Tasting (Pampano) Finally…only because I don’t think my stomach could handle any more descriptions.
Costanera: Cocina Peruana- Chef/Owner Juan Placencia in New Jersey!
Ceviche: marinated in leche de tigre and aji chilies and served with red onion, cilantro, yams and chocolo:
Pescado: fluke
Mixto: fluke, octopus, shrimp, squid
Costanera: crab, arctic char, shrimp
Tiradito: similar to ceviche but the fish is cut sashimi style and the aji chilies
Tradicional: fluke with aji rocoto and cilantro
Nikkei: arctic char with aji amarillo, avocado and soy-lime dressing
Ceviche de Pescado (Costanera) For a more extended menu check out- Ceviche Day!
So please if you don’t do it for yourself, do it for my taste buds and rumbling stomach! Jot it down- and go out – June 28th Ceviche Day!!
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@WineEnthusiast Toast of the Town
I’d been waiting for Thursday all week long…for Wine Enthusiast’s “Toast of the Town,” a wine and food festival that filled Manhattan’s Hammerstein Ballroom with 500 wine and spirits and 35 top restaurants.
The event was $106 for general admission and $169 for VIP, which included an hour of reserve wines. Even though the event was at capacity, there was more than enough wine and food to go around–and more than one could possibly consume in 4 hours!
Now I have a couple of new trusty favorites to add to my list of go-to wines–wines that I’ll look out for when I’m at a wine shop or that I’ll order when I’m out at dinner.
My picks from the night:
Yalumba 2010 The Strapper Grenache-Shiraz-Mataro (Barossa)
“Sweetly scented cinnamon is joined by a cavalcade of brown baking spices on the palate. Juicy but nimble with some appropriately grainy, chocolate tannin. ” Pop it in the fridge for half an hour on a hot day, for added refreshment.Roth Estate 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon (Alexander Valley)
“Beautiful aromas of nutmeg, sweet oak and red cherries that carry through to the palate. This bright Cabernet Sauvignon has soft, balanced tannins that are complemented by notes of black currant and red berries with an elegant finish of sweet vanilla”Raymond Vineyard 2008 Generations Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley)
“Prevailing aromas of berries, earth, tobacco, currant and plum carry through to the flavors and the long, lingering finish. Full-bodied, intense, and complex throughout, with enough tannic structure to guarantee aging potential.”Buena Vista Winery 2008 The Count (Sonoma)
“The wine’s bouquet opens beautifully with rich aromas of black currant, cherries and just a hint of espresso. Smooth on the palate, the wine offers flavors of plum and blackberry that gently give way to cardamom on the long, silky finish.”Dona Paula 2011 Estate Torrontes (Salta)
“Golden yellow intense. Delicate and complex aromas of jasmin, tropical orange blossom, fruits and muscat grape. Fresh mouth of good volume and acidity, balanced and persistent.”As you can see, I’m a little partial to red wines, but I can promise, any of the above-mentioned wines will be delicious, whether sipping alone or with a meal. Enjoy!
This is where it all began…
Greenmarket Baby Beet Salad & Goat Cheese Mousse from Tocqueville (www.tocquevillerestaurant.com)
Soft Quail Egg filled Raviolo with Truffle Butter and Parmiagiano from SD26 (www.SD26ny.com)
I love the neckwear!
Ingredients for the Alaskan Salmon Roe Caviar with Buckwheat Blinis from Firebird (www.firebirdrestaurant.com)
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@VillageVoice’s #ChoiceStreets
It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Village Voices’s extraordinary beverage and culinary events. I’ve sampled craft beers at Brooklyn Pour, and most recently, nearly munched myself into a blissful coma at Choice Eats.
On Tuesday, I will be attending Choice Streets,Village Voice’s first annual food truck tasting event.
Every New Yorker has her favorite food truck. You know, the one that you stand in line for 20 minutes at without a care in the world, the one you’ll stalk on Twitter to see where its parked so that you can hunt it down and satisfy that craving? Well, that one, plus 20 others (for a total of 21!) will be gathered at Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum on Tuesday, April 24. This all means that next week, I am in for an unfathomably delicious experience!
I would tell you to run out and buy your ticket, but the event sold out in a record 5 days! So, what I will say is, make sure you stay tuned for my post-event coverage, and next year, be sure to purchase you ticket ASAP!
This year’s food trucks:
Bongo Brothers
Chinese Mirch
Coolhaus
Cupcake Crew
The Cinnamon Snail
Frites ‘N’ Meats
Green Pirate Juice Truck
Kelvin Natural Slush Co.
King of Falafel & Shawarma
Korilla BBQ
Mexico Blvd
Mexicue
Morris Grilled Cheese Truck
NYC Healthy Bites
Phil’s Steaks
Red Hook Lobster Pound
Solber Pupusas
Souvlaki GR
The Taim Mobile
Valducci’s Original Pizza
Wafels & Dinges**Wafels & Dinges‘ de bacon + syrup wafel is my ultimate food truck obsession. So happy they are on the list!
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@VillageVoice’s @ChoiceEats = Delicious
On Tuesday night I attended Village Voice’s sixth annual “Choice Eats” event.
Just picture this…you walk into the 69th Armory, a huge, historic armory built in the early 1900s, filled with 83 restaurants from the five boroughs, serving tastings of their most delicious dishes. Let’s not forget the craft beer, spirits and wine companies, serving up cocktails and pours to accompany the eats. If you’re even the slightest bit of a foodie, you’d think you died and went to heaven–so imagine how it was for me (definitely, absolutely a foodie)!
Each of the restaurants was hand-picked by Robert Sietsema, food critic for Village Voice.
If you missed this year’s event, there’s always next year. But be sure you buy your tickets early because it sold out completely this year, and I’m sure it will be the same for next year. Also, keep an eye on Village Voice’s calendar of events. They have various festivals throughout the year, like the Brooklyn Pour Craft Beer Festival I attended in October, and the upcoming Choice Streets food truck tasting event in April.
And the winner is…
Allswell: Gentleman’s Relish with roasted garlic and anchovy spread on housemade sourdough and topped with soft boiled eggThis was my absolute favorite dish in the entire event.
My tasting glass
The event was sold out!
Juliette: Cured Arctic Char & Maine Diver Scallop Shooters
From top left: Red Hook Lobster Pound~Shrimp Rolls, O Lavrador~Carne de Porco a Alentejana (pork tenderloin with clam and potatoes), Pataniscas de Bacalhau com Molho Verde (codfish fritters with Portuguese vinaigrette sauce), Smorgas Chef~72 hour house cured aquavit gravlaks with creamy dill cucumbers and mustard sauce.The lox from Smorgas Chef were unbelievable!
Red Hook Lobster Pound’s mascot!
From left: Fay Da Baker~pork bun and honey bubble teaBest pork bun ever!
Whole Foods had bags for everyone!
Dirt Candy: Tomato chipotle cotton candy
Mama’s Food Shop~Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder with Roasted VegetablesSuch a simple description, but this had to one of the juiciest, most flavorful roasted pork dishes I have ever tasted!
Vandaag~Gravlax Smorrebrod
Surprised to see the neighborhood spot! I can’t even count how much Peppa’s Jerk Chicken I’ve had since moving to Brooklyn!
Enjoying!
Smuttynose~Let’s say I had the random and bizarre impulse to jump over the table to grab a beer or something–I would definitely NOT do it with this guy standing there!!
Yummy cocktails by Bulldog Gin
Goat Town: Goat Face Sangwich
Gazela: makes delicious sangria
Northern Spy Food Co~Savory Buttermilk Pannacotta with roasted carrots, almonds and licorice
Sottocasa: Tiramisu
Doughnut Plant: P&J doughnutsOne of my local favorites! Even though I was sooooo full, I managed to make room for this and it couldn’t have been better!
This guy is so smart. While everyone else juggled their plate, glass, and event brochure, he was super smooth with his items laid out on a lavish platter, er, green tray!
Blue Point: Craft beer
Svedka, anyone?
Ditch Plains: hot dogs covered with mac ‘n cheeseDelicious…don’t judge me!
Until next time!!
